Double-walled partition and partition elements

ABSTRACT

The invention pertains to partitions comprising a strengthening structure consisting of an assembly of uprights and crosspieces made of extruded box-like sections of metal or a light alloy. The spaces defined by said assembly are provided with opaque, translucent or transparent panels in any suitable material.

3,749,432 [451 July 31, 1973 3,221,453 12/1965 Lietaert......... ................i....52/235 995,630 6/1911 Naugie 287/189.36A

[ 1 DOUBLE-WALLED PARTITION AND PARTITION ELEMENTS [76] Inventor: Leopold Mathieu Lambert Janssen,

28, rue de lAncien Chateau, Primary ExaminerJohn E. Murtagh I-Ierseaux, Belgium Attorney-Richards & Geier May 3, 1972 Appl. No.: 250,003

[22] Filed:

ABSTRACT [30] Foreign Application Priority Data May 12, 1971 Belgium........... 767043 The l'l l m pertains to partitions comprising a strengthening structure consisting of an assembly of uprights and crosspieces made of extruded box-like sections of metal or a light alloy. The spaces defined by said assembly are provided with opaque, translucent or transparent panels in any suitable material.

8 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures 50 5 6 A6 mi 5 %93 s m QJ 2 7 W 2 72 5/ ,2 "w Abm mm 3E" 9 8 n l n .n 7 n 8 u 2 m mmh .r. "8 U .I. II C km Sm UIIF 1.1.] 2 8 555 .111.

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/1965 Grisard 52/665 PATENIEDJULIH 191a SHEET 3 BF 4 III DOUBLE-WALLED PARTITION AND PARTITION ELEMENTS The partitions forming the object of this invention comprise substantially a strengthening structure consisting of an assembly of uprights and crosspieces made of extruded box-like sections of metal or a light alloy. The spaces defined by said assembly are provided with opaque, translucent or transparent panels in any suitable material.

This invention relates to the whole partition as described hereafter. It relates also to the particular elements. These particular elements are namely the device for assembling the uprights and the crosspieces as well as each of the elements making part of the said assembly and characterized, for each of the latter, by an upright, a cross-piece, the engaging lock device with its resilient element and its blocking stop together with all the complementary elements such as butt straps, inserts and sound and thermal insulating means.

The object of this invention is to provide such double-walled partitions having a very high stability which are rapidly and conveniently mounted and dismantled.

Another object of this invention is to provide, for assembling the uprights and the crosspieces, strong elements which are very readily and economically manufactured at the industrial scale.

Another object of this invention is to provide such assemblies in which the various constituting parts are prevented from being accidentally dislocated or separated.

These various objects are obtained by the fact that a double partition according to the invention comprises a strengthening structure formed with uprights and crosspieces consisting of extruded box-like sections generally divided into three compartments, the two extreme compartments being longitudinally opened, while the uprights and the crosspieces are connected through a lock having a perforated body and forming a housing for a V-shaped spring blade and a rotating and removable stop on which bears one of the legs of the said spring blade, the said stop bearing itself on the section which it engages, the partition being completed by filling panels maintainedin their positions by butt straps made integral with the said strengthening structure through inserts of a material forming a thermal and sound insulation.

It should be namely pointed out that all the main parts suchas the box-like sections of the uprights and the crosspieces, the lock, the butt straps and the inserts may be made by rapid and economical industrial extruding means. 1

More particularly, it should be noted that the lock having a relatively intricated shape is made by extrusion from an extruded section which is subsequently severed at intervals determined in accordance with the width.

Of course, these various constituting elements may be made under varying shapes and sizes generally dctermincd by the nature of the partitions and walls being made.

Thus, an embodiment will be described hereafter with more details only by way of example and without any limitation, reference being made to the enclosed drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows an exploded view of the constituting elements of an assembly of uprights and crosspieces;

of the FIGS. 6 and 7 are sections on the lines Vl-Vl and I VII--VII of FIG. 5, respectively.

In this embodiment, the uprights and crosspieces are elements having the same profile and the same transverse dimensions. These uprights and crosspieces 1 and 2 respectively consist of box-like sections divided namely into three compartments 3-4-5, the central compartment 3 being completely closed, while the compartments 4-5 are opened, the outer face thereof comprising two flanges 6-7 the longitudinal free edges of which are parallel and separated by a distance D.

Upon each of said two solid faces, the said sections have outwardly and inwardly a pair of ribs 8-9, 10-11, 12-13 and 14-15 respectively. The outer ribs 8-9 and 10-11 have outlining free edges profiled to form catching elements.

A lock-l6 comprises a part having a uniform thickness D1 which is slightly smallerthan the distance D of the sections 1-2 as well as smaller than the distance D2 separating the pairs of inner ribs 12-13 and 14-15 respectively. The said part has a body 17 under the form of a frame extended, on one side, by a head 18 the front face of which has a central cross rib 19. The said head 18 is bonded with the said body 17 so that two deep notches 20-21 remain between the said two constituting parts of the lock, the thickness D3 separating the bottoms of the said notches being smaller than the said distance D. The back faces of the head 18 have each a shoulder 22-23 respectively, the width of which is substantially equal to the thickness of the flanges 6-7 of the sections 1.

The uprights of frame 17 are preferably shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 6.

At the level of the crosspieces, in the bottoms of the extreme compartments 4-5, the uprights I have a hole 24 the diameter of which is slightly greater than the thickness D1 of lock 16 and more particularly greater than the width of the front rib 19 of the said'lock.

The spring element 25 comprises namely a U-shaped steel blade the side legs of which have different lengths. The width D4 is greater than the thickness Dl of lock 16 which is slightly smaller than the width D5 of the central compartment 3 of the section 2. The overall height D6 is equal to or very slightly lower than the height D7 of the space 26 of the frame 17, whereas the overall width D8 of the said spring 25 is equal to' or greater than the width D9 of the said space 26 defined by the frame 17.

The rotating and removable stop 27 comprises namely a length of a cylindrical bar having a large flat portion 28.

The length D10 is slightly smaller than the width Dll of the crosspiece.

The said crosspieces have, at suitable locations in the bottoms of the two extreme compartments 4-5 and opposite to the longitudinal openings, holes 29 the diameter of which is very slightly greater than the diameter of the said stop 27.

In order to assemble the uprights 1 and the crosspieces 2, the following steps will be sufficient: engaging the spring 25 with the frame 17 of the lock 16, engaging bevelled as the rear portion of the lock 16, with the central compartment 3 of the corresponding end of a crosspiece, engaging the stop 27 with the corresponding hole 29 so that the smallest transverse dimension thereof is inter posed between the shortest leg of the spring and the adjoining wall of the lock frame 17, bringing the crosspieces at the level of the corresponding hole 24 of the upright by introducing the head 18 of the lock between the flanges 6-7 of the upright, the head rib l9 engaging the said hole 24, rotating the crosspiece with its lock on 90 and finally rotating the entire stop 27 about the axis thereof, which may be made through a simple tubular wrench the cavity of which fits to the shape and the transverse dimensions of the said stop.

The partition is completed by the suitable panels or panes 30 maintained with butt straps 31 which in turn are fastened to the uprights and crosspieces through inserts 32 of a material having a small thermal and acoustical conductibility.

The invention relates as well to the partitions as to the characteristical elements forming them.

What I claim is:

1. A double-walled partition, characterized in that it comprises a strengthening structure formed by uprights and crosspieces consisting of extruded box-like sections generally divided into three compartments, the two extreme compartments being longitudinally opened, while the uprights and the crosspieces are connected through a lock having a perforated body and forminga housing for a V-shaped spring blade and a rotating and removable stop on which bears one of the legs of the said spring blades, the said stop bearing itself on the section which it engages, the partition being completed by filling panels maintained in their positions by butt straps made integral with the said strengthening structure through inserts of a material forming a thermal and sound insulation.

2. A partition according to claim 1, characterized in that the box-like sections forming the uprights and the crosspieces have two longitudinal catching ribs on the two outer solid faces thereof.

3. A partition according to claim 1, characterized in that, in the compartment of the section forming a crosspiece, are provided two pairs of inner parallel ribs for guiding the lock.

4. A partition according to claim 1, characterized in that the lock comprises a body under the form of a frame forwardly extended by a head outlining two'large notches with the corresponding portions of the said frame, the said head having a cross rib in the central portion of its front face.

5. A partition according to claim 4, characterized in that the head of the lock has, on its back faces, a shoulder the width of which is substantially equal to the thickness of the flanges of the opened compartments of the section forming the uprights.

6. A partition according to claim 4, characterized in that the lock has everywhere a constant thickness and is produced by severing an extruded section.

7. A partition according to claim 1, characterized in that the spring element comprises a substantially U- shaped steel blade the overall height of which is equal or slightly lower than the height of the perforation of the lock, whereas the width thereof is larger than the thickness of the said lock, but slightly smaller than the width of the closed central compartment of the section forming the crosspiece.

8. A partition according to claim 1, characterized in that the rotating and removable stop comprises a length of a cylindrical bar having a large flat portion, the length of the said stop being slightly smaller than the width of the section forming the stop.

* I 1 i i 

1. A double-walled partition, characterized in that it comprises a strengthening structure formed by uprights and crosspieces consisting of extruded box-like sections generally divided into three compartments, the two extreme compartments being longitudinally opened, while the uprights and the crosspieces are connected through a lock having a perforated body and forming a housing for a V-shaped spring blade and a rotating and removable stop on which bears one of the legs of the said spring blades, the said stop bearing itself on the section which it engages, the partition being completed by filling panels maintained in their positions by butt straps made integral with the said strengthening structure through inserts of a material forming a thermal and sound insulation.
 2. A partition according to claim 1, characterized in that the box-like sections forming the uprights and the crosspieces have two longitudinal catching ribs on the two outer solid faces thereof.
 3. A partition according to claim 1, characterized in that, in the compartment of the section forming a crosspiece, are provided two pairs of inner parallel ribs for guiding the lock.
 4. A partition according to claim 1, characterized in that the lock comprises a body under the form of a frame forwardly extended by a head outlining two large notches with the corresponding portions of the said frame, the said head having a cross rib in the central portion of its front face.
 5. A partition according to claim 4, characterized in that the head of the lock has, on its back faces, a shoulder the width of which is substantially equal to the thickness of the flanges of the opened compartments of the section forming the uprights.
 6. A partition according to claim 4, characterized in that the lock has everywhere a constant thickness and is produced by severing an extruded section.
 7. A partition according to claim 1, characterized in that the spring element comprises a substantially U-shaped steel blade the overall height of which is equal or slightly lower than the height of the perforation of the lock, whereas the width thereof is larger than the thickness of the said lock, but slightly smaller than the width of the closed central compartment of the section forming the crosspiece.
 8. A partition according to claim 1, characterized in that the rotating and removable stop comprises a length of a cylindrical bar having a large flat portion, the length of the said stop being slightly smaller than the width of the section forming the stop. 